Firefighters prevented a potentially-lethal explosion just yards from a busy main road during rush-hour last night.

A lorry trailer and a combine harvester were discovered on fire in a field in Smarts Road, Exhall, at 3.45pm and in the trailer firefighters found gas cylinders, one of which was thought to contain acetylene.

About two miles of the A444, between the Odeon island in Nuneaton and junction three of the M6, was closed in both directions and traffic diverted through Bedworth.

It caused serious congestion through Bedworth town centre and many people were stuck in traffic for more than an hour.

Station officer Dave Pemberton said: "Acetylene has a high risk of explosion if it is involved in fire so it was extremely dangerous for the firefighters who were there.

"The cylinder was rusty and had been burnt, so it had a maroon appearance - which is how acetylene cylinders are identified.

"We had to treat it as though it was explosive and set up the exclusion zone, which unfortunately included the A444."